Rena McVay

TUPELO- Rena Mae Foster McVay went to be with our Lord and Savior Tuesday February 25, 2020, at North Mississippi Medical Center. She was born February 23, 1921 as one of seven brothers and sisters in Plantersville to Thomas P. and Sarah E. Brinkley Foster. She grew up at the family home east of Plantersville along with her siblings attending and graduating from Plantersville High School in 1939. She held various employment in the next few years with one her fondest opportunities coming when she answered her nation's call to duty and contributed to the war effort in World War II by working as a riveter alongside her sister in Memphis at an aviation manufacturing facility. When war was won and the boys came home it was a childhood friend who would beguile her heart and become her husband of 50 years, Edgar T. McVay. From this union they would be blessed with three children David E. Mcvay, Paul A. McVay, and Betty C. McVay Cummings. She would go on to work primarily as a seamstress and in other service businesses in Tupelo retiring lastly from Wool Co. in the mid 1980' s. Always one to keep herself busy, she traveled with her husband until his passing in 1997 and went on to work for the Lee County Courier Newspaper for a number of years. Her favorite pastime however would always be caring for and tending the beautiful flowers she raised in her yard as well as working in her garden. She was a Christian lady and a fixture at Parkway Baptist Church where she was a member for over 60 years. Some of her fondest memories were of her friends at church and the relationships she had while in Sunday School and on her "Keenager" trips she enjoyed with the Senior group from Parkway.
She shared with her family and friends a love for the Lord and Church was always a vital part of her life and all she hoped to accomplish through the course of her days. A shining example of
the "Greatest Generation" and the work ethic undertaken to fuel the successes of her family and many more like hers, she was tireless in her endeavors for the benefit of others. Whether it be for the benefit of friends or family or anyone in need, she could always be counted on to help in any way she could and was always an ear to anyone who just needed a person to talk to. Her home was always open to visitors and much like the home of her youth, the meeting place for all things family. Whether it was a special occasion, holiday, or just a meal while visiting her fellowship was treasured by many who knew her including her children and grandchildren. As we her family go about our days, it will be in the model and example set forth by her and her expectations and hopes for us. In our daily walk we do honor her by carrying on her traditions and taking up the mantle in a way befitting her legacy. Much like the beautiful flowers she tended in her yard, so was her care and nurturing for all of us. To see us grow and flourish all the while anchored in the foundation of the love of our lord as well as our love for each other is what her designs were for us all, friend and family, child and grandchild. Her compassion, grace, integrity, and strength of will serve as a guiding light for her family as we go forth in remembrance and respect of one of the brightest servants among us. She is home now, reunited with her Mother and Father as well as all of her brothers and sisters, husband and her oldest son. We here are strengthened by faith in knowing that one day we will see her again and rejoice in the presence of our Lord.
Survivors include her children, Paul McVay and Betty Cummings (Jeff); daughter-in-law, Carol
R. McVay; grandchildren Jason McVay (April) all of Tupelo, Katie Campbell (David) of York, South Carolina, Jacob McVay of Randolph, Laura Harris (Brian) of Denver, Colorado, and Jeffrey Cummings (Jessica) of Foreman, Arkansas;. as well as, great –grandchildren, Cooper and Mary Cullen McVay, Brooklyn Rost, and Alex, Brayden, and Cayleigh Campbell; and numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and a host of cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar; eldest child, David E. Mcvay; mother and father; as well as, brothers and sisters.
Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Saturday February 29, 2020 at the Jefferson Street Chapel of W.E. Pegues with Bro. Paul Young officiating and a graveside service to follow in Lee Memorial Park.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons Jason McVay, Jacob McVay, Jeffrey Cummings, and David Campbell, as well as her great-grandsons, Cooper McVay and Alex Campbell.
Honorary pallbearers will be her nephews, Clarence, Wayne, Tim, and Danny Foster, James, Robert, and George Sheffield, as well as Thomas Kelly and Joe Vanderford.
Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. until service time Saturday February 29, 2020, W. E. Pegues, Tupelo.
Memorials may be made to the Parkway Baptist Church Food Pantry, 1302 Lee Street, Tupelo, MS 38804 or Meals on Wheels, 2800 West Main St. Tupelo, MS 38801.
Expressions of sympathy may be left at www.peguesfuneralhome.com .